Cervical chondroid chordoma in a standard dachshund: a case report

Chordomas are slow-growing, locally destructive neoplasms arising in the cerebrospinal axis from remnants or derivatives of the notochord. These tumours are uncommon in humans and in animals, and only a few cases have been reported in dogs [1,2], cats [3,4], rats [5] and mink [6]. There are several reports of chordomas in ferrets where the tumour is typically located on the tail [7-9].By clinicopathologic, immunohistochemical and DNA flow cytometric studies, three subtypes of chordomas are recognized in humans: 1) conventional chordoma, 2) chondroid chordoma and 3) chordoma with a malignant spindle cell component [10-12]. Distinct subtypes of chordomas have not been described in other species.To the authors' knowledge, eight cases of chordomas or probable chordomas in dogs have been reported previously, and the locations of the tumours varied. Two were located in the cranial region [13,14], two within the cervical vertebral canal [15,16], two in the sacro-coccygeal area [13,17], one in the spinal cord at the level of L5-6 [18] and one was located between the trachea and ventral muscles of the first cervical vertebrae [19].This is the first report describing surgical treatment and follow-up of a chordoma in the cervical spine of a dog.A ten-year-old, male, longhaired standard dachshund of 11 kg, presenting with lethargy and ataxia was referred to the Norwegian School of Veterinary Science for evaluation and treatment. It had a three month history of gradual behavioural change, reluctance to exercise and increasing stumbling on the right thoracic limb. A week before admission, the referring veterinarian also identified neck pain, a slight degree of general muscular atrophy and tetraparesis with an absence of the proprioceptive positioning response in all four limbs. The referring veterinarian then prescribed 10 mg prednisolone orally once daily for seven days.On referral, the dog was bright and alert. Clinical examination revealed a reduced body condition including ge